Flaming Passion
by Wedrestamos
Summary: Love in Lavaridge blooms in Mt. Chimney's heat. A man, a girl, and the center of the Hoenn region...this oughta be good.
1. Chapter 1

**So for those of you who know my writing, this is something a little more light-hearted. Okay, it's a romance story, so for those who aren't thrilled by romances, it's fine if you don't read this. But for any who still dare to read…enjoy! Also, for the purposes of this story, the female love interest (don't wanna reveal too much) is 16.**

Lavaridge. A sleepy little town. As the young man relaxed in the hot springs, he thought about what had transpired earlier that day, which was a friendly battle with the Gym Leader, Flannery. He had lost, but he had taken it well, and Flannery had even complimented him on his improvement. He sighed as he sunk lower into the spring. Better…but not better than Flannery. He really wanted to beat her, just once, but…when he thought he was ready, it turned out that he wasn't. He knew he wasn't out of his league, he just knew that it took time to master things like this.

Someone knocked on the door of the hot spring. The man called out, "Who is it?"

"Nurse Joy. Your Pokémon are replenished and you have a visitor."

"A visitor?"

"Yes, Flannery."

The man scrambled for his clothes, hanging by the door. "One sec!"

The young man of sixteen grabbed his blue shirt, jeans (which still felt fine, even with the town's proximity to Chimney), and his sandals. After he dried off and dressed, he walked out of the spring area and looked at Nurse Joy. "Where is she?"

"Main lobby. I told her you were soaking in the springs, and she said she'd wait."

"Thanks." The young man walked out to the lobby, and sure enough, there she was, waiting. She turned to him and grinned. "Hey, Johnny!"

Johnny grinned as well. "Hey, Flannery. What's up?"

She shrugged. "The usual. Challengers, some win and some lose, but none of them lose that fiery spirit that possessed them in the first place."

He nodded. "That's good to hear. Being a Trainer, chances are you're gonna lose once in a while. Best thing to do is just deal with it."

She nodded, and he took in her flaming-red hair, which was spiked everywhere. She wore a small shirt and jeans, leaving most of her stomach exposed. Her red eyes glinted with happiness, because quite frankly, she had never been unhappy, as far as Johnny had seen.

She broke him out of his reverie. "Hey, whatcha doing tonight?"

"Hm?"

"Whatcha doing tonight?"

He thought a moment. "Just staying in again, I guess…why?"

She chuckled. "Wanna head down to Mauville and hang?"

He thought this over. Mauville was only about ten minutes' walk from Lavaridge, and there was a lot more to do there than Lavaridge, not that there was nothing in Lavaridge. Johnny looked at his fellow teenager and said, "Aw, sure. I got nothing better to do."

She smiled. "Great! So…when you wanna head out?"

"How about…6?"

She nodded. "Sounds good!" She skipped off.

Johnny blinked. He couldn't remember the last time she had skipped…probably not since she was a kid. He wondered why she was skipping now…eh. He grinned, excited at the new prospect.

He went home and looked in the mirror, looking at his black hair and green eyes. The mirror was where he could be completely honest with himself, and this was one of those times. He had a slight crush on Flannery, and this trip to Mauville could help him, but not in ways he could think of right then. He was just really excited about tonight's venture. His cell phone buzzed, and he read a text from his best friend Frank, 'Hey.'

He texted back, 'Hey.'

'Got plans tonight?'

'Yeah.'

'That's new. Gonna daydream about you and Flannery?'

Johnny sighed. 'It's not that bad.'

'Dude, we're best friends. You have more than a slight crush.'

Okay, maybe he wasn't totally honest…'Shut up.'

'Lol. So what are these plans?'

'Going to Mauville.'

'Mauville, eh? Sounds fun.'

'With Flannery.'

No response for a minute. Then 'What?!'

'You read right. Flannery. She and I are hanging at Mauville tonight. And it was her idea.'

No response. All of a sudden, Johnny heard a knock at his door, and he went to open it. He did, and Frank stood there, blue eyes, brown hair, and completely out of breath. "Tell me everything!"

Johnny pulled him inside and shut the door. "I did. Flannery suggested a Mauville venture tonight, just the two of us."

Frank smiled from ear to ear. "You dog!"

Johnny groaned. "Why did I tell you…"

"Hey, be sure to tell me everything, got it? I need deets!"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine. But if I see you following us, you're going in the water on Route 110. Got it?"

Still grinning, Frank nodded. "I want deets, but I'm not that desperate."

"Good."

Someone knocked, and Johnny looked out the peephole to see-

"It's Flannery! Get!"

Johnny kicked Frank towards the back door and opened the front. "Hey, Flannery."

She smiled. "Ready to go?"

He checked his phone, and sure enough, it was six. "Wow, time flied…yeah, I'm good!"

She chirped, "Good!" She and Johnny walked out and headed towards Route 111 to enjoy an evening on the town.

**I'd love feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2

The walk on Route 111 was uneventful, and as they entered the city, Johnny took in the sight. Mauville had over gone some serious remodeling based off of some city in Kalos, and now it was simply amazing, to Johnny at least. Flannery didn't look quite as amazed, probably since she had come here more often than he to talk with Wattson and compare Leader notes. Speaking of whom…

Wattson walked up to the two and said, "Hey, Flannery! Haven't seen you recently. How you been?"

Flannery grinned. "I've been well, how about you? Still checking the electric circuits?"

He nodded, beaming. "My pride and joy! My wonderful circuitry!" He finally saw Johnny and said, "Ah, young Jonathan! How have you been?"

He nodded. "Good, Mr. Wattson, sir."

For being a teenager, Johnny could use a self-esteem boost. "Please, no mister or sir needed. Wattson's fine."

Johnny nodded, looking at the ground. Flannery looked at him and, turning back to Wattson, said, "We're actually hanging tonight, here in Mauville."

He nodded, still beaming. "That's a good plan! I know Lavaridge has its own attractions, but Mauville had more."

Flannery nodded. "That much is true. So, if you'll excuse us, we'll be off."

He nodded, and she and Johnny walked off, Johnny still staring at the ground. Wattson looked after them and sighed, muttering, "That boy needs more confidence. The fact that he beat me should've helped."

As Flannery and Johnny walked around Mauville, Johnny asked, "You hungry?"

She nodded, and he said, "Wanna head to the food court?"

She smiled. "Yeah, sounds great!"

They headed towards the Mauville Food Court, more better known as the Battle Court. Johnny walked up to the green counter along the right side of the court and said, "Two Village Sub Combos, please."

The cashier nodded. "That'll be 2,000 Poke." Johnny handed the money over and took the buzzer, and the cashier said, "You know the deal."

He nodded, and he and Flannery grabbed a pair of chairs at a nearby table. Soon, they were disturbed by a young boy who said, "Hey you! That seat's mine!"

Johnny sighed. "Hey, Cutler. How you doing?"

Cutler looked at him. "Oh, Johnny, it's you! Hey, good to see you. It's been some time."

"I know. Do we still have to battle?"

"You know the rules. Food'll be ready in five turns, and the only way to kill time around here is battle, which also protects your seat."

Johnny stood. "You sure you wanna fight?"

Cutler smirked. "I can whup you!" He threw a Poke Ball, summoning a Slugma.

Johnny chuckled. "Good luck, man. Let's go, Iusoru!"

He threw a Ball, and a Wailmer appeared. The two Pokémon stared each other down, and Cutler said, "You can have the first turn."

Johnny smirked. "You're gonna regret that! Iusoru, Water Pulse!"

Iusoru focused blue energy in an orb in front of it and launched it at the Slugma, who simply couldn't dodge it. It fainted, and Cutler sighed. "Why can't I catch a break?"

He walked away, and Flannery said, "Nice job!"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, I know. But let's face it, it gets boring after a while."

Flannery nodded and asked, "Where'd you get that Wailmer?"

Johnny looked at the Poke Ball which currently held it. "Iusoru? Went out to Mossdeep once with family, and when I was walking on the beach, I saw a group of them swimming out in the ocean. They came close to the island, and one saw me and shot water in my face."

Flannery laughed, and Johnny continued, "Well, I couldn't let that end that way, so I went over to it and asked why it did that. It merely laughed and shot me again. Now drenched, I pulled out a Poke Ball and asked if it wanted to do that to me more. It looked at the other Wailmer and had a conversation, it seemed, and afterwards, it nodded and nudged itself against the Ball. End."

Flannery smiled. "That's a nice story."

Johnny grinned. "Yeah, I just did what felt natural. I learned that early, go with your gut if your brain's got nothing."

Flannery nodded. "Solid words."

A young girl came up to them and said to Johnny, "Hey, that's-"

"Hey, Nitzel."

She blinked. "Oh, Johnny! Hey, Cutler mentioned something…ready to go?"

Johnny smirked. "You know it! Go, Criuly!"

He threw a Ball, and a Swellow appeared, ready to face Nitzel's Oddish. "Criuly, Quick Attack!"

Criuly almost disappeared from view, and the Oddish looked around, trying to see it, but Criuly hot it from behind with the attack, catching the Oddish off balance and throwing its Razor Leaf off target. "Criuly, Aerial Ace!" Criuly's wings became coated in white on the edges and it charged at the Oddish, hitting it with its wings straight on, knocking it out. Nitzel pouted. "Man!" She walked off, and Flannery asked, "If your Criuly knew Aerial Ace-which I remember from our battles-why didn't you use it right away?"

Johnny said, "Simple. Racks up turns. Only got two left now."

A boy came up to them, and Johnny cut him off right away. "Ham, good to see you."

The boy didn't flinch. "Let's do this!" he cried, calling out a Tailow.

Johnny held up a Poke Ball. "Alright, then. Let's go, Qemors!"

He threw the Ball, summoning a Manectric. "Qemors, Rain Dance!"

The smell of ozone filled the air, and it started to rain in the court. Ham's Tailow attacked with a Wing Attack, which didn't exactly do much. Johnny smirked. "One turn. I feel like overkill today!"

He swung his wrist in front of his body and pressed the multi-colored stone in the bracelet on his wrist. Light started to emanate from Qemors, and within a few seconds, it had changed its look. It looked more like a lightning bolt now, and its cry had gotten deeper. "End this with Discharge!"

Qemors cried out, and instantly electricity was discharged from everywhere on its body, enveloping the Tailow and knocking it out. Ham called it back and ran out, headed straight for the Pokémon Center. Johnny called Qemors back, and Flannery gave him a look. "That's new."

He looked at her. "A friend of mine showed me these secrets. Not important, I'll go get the food."

He went up to the counter and picked up the combos, also taking from the cashier a pure gold nugget.

"Enjoy!"

He nodded and went back to the table, placing one of the combos in front of Flannery. "There you go."

She picked up the sandwich and took a bite of it. "Mm! Delicious!"

Johnny chuckled. "I would hope so. Perfect turn count." He sat, and they both ate, food too good to talk.


	3. Chapter 3

After they had finished eating, they walked around Mauville, looking for something good to do, when Flannery suddenly asked, "Why'd you ask so nervous around Wattson?"

Johnny looked at her and said, "Come again?"

"You said sir and mister, and you stared at the ground the entire time. Why?"

Johnny shrugged. "I dunno, it's just something…"

"You beat him in battle. The least you could do is look him in the eye."

He looked at her. "I only beat him because you convinced me to battle him."

"And did you enjoy it?"

"Immensely, but-"

Flannery chuckled. "Then what's the problem?"

"Because you got him to fall!"

She gave him an odd look. "What?"

Johnny sighed. "I'm not good enough to beat a Gym Leader, so you talked him into taking a dive. I'm not that good…"

She stopped him, and he looked into her fiery red eyes. "You are that good! All I said to Wattson was that you were coming to challenge him, nothing more. You're a skilled Trainer!"

"Then why can't I beat you?!"

She blinked, and he continued, "I've been battling against you since we were kids, and I have never beaten you! You convinced me to challenge Wattson, and according to him, the level of my Pokémon is closer to a Trainer with seven badges. And since you're the fourth Gym in the region…"

She rolled her eyes. "That's an easy answer: You're not the only one who trains?"

He blinked, and she said, "Johnny, I knew since we were kids that in order to win against you, I had to constantly train. My Pokémon are just as powerful as yours, if not just a little more."

Johnny said, "Really? So…all I gotta do is train more?"

She nodded, and Johnny felt excitement building inside him, which he couldn't really contain. "I challenge you!"

She looked at him. "What?"

"You and me, full battle, right here, right now!"

She chuckled. "You seriously wanna battle?"

He nodded, and she laughed. "Alright, let's do it!"

He grinned. "Great! Let's head out to the main courtyard, there's more area there."

She nodded, and the two of them went outside to behold the center of Mauville, a grassy area with benches. Johnny and Flannery stood opposite each other, and Flannery said, "Let's go, Magcargo!"

She threw a Ball, and a red slug with rocks on its back appeared. Johnny picked a Ball and threw it, revealing a Pokémon with large hands named Hariyama. "Alright, Makit, no mercy!"

She chuckled. "Makit? Really?"

He sighed. "Trade."

She nodded in understanding. You couldn't change the nickname of a Pokémon that had been traded, for some reason. "No matter. Magcargo, Shell Smash!"

Magcargo retreated inside its shell and burst through it, decreasing its defensive capabilities but increasing its attacking and speed. Johnny gulped and said, "Makit, Force Palm!"

Makit charged at Magcargo, but it dodged as Flannery called out, "Flamethrower!" sending a wave of fire towards Makit. It wasn't fast enough to dodge and was enveloped in flame. Johnny cried out, "Makit!" and as the fire died, Johnny saw that Makit was burned, which would periodically do damage. Johnny chuckled. "Thanks, Flannery!"

She gave him a confused look, and he said, "It has the ability Guts, which raises its attack when inflicted with a status ailment, such as a burn."

She grimaced. "Doesn't mean anything if you can't hit Magcargo! Body Slam!"

Magcargo charged at Makit, and Johnny sighed and said, "Makit."

Makit nodded and grabbed the charging Pokémon, then threw it straight up, preparing to hit it with a Force Palm once it came back down. Flannery called out, "Magcargo, use Flamethrower to soften the fall!" A wave of fire burst from the slug's mouth, and as it landed, Makit hit it with its palm, sending the slug into a wall and knocking it out.

Flannery sighed and recalled the slug, saying to the Poke Ball, "Nice job. Get a good rest." She put the Ball away and said, "Well done, Johnny. Try and beat this next one! Camerupt!"

A large camel appeared, and Johnny recalled Makit. "Go, Iusoru!" The Wailmer appeared and looked at the Camerupt with an odd look. "Uh…Iusoru?"

Iusoru seemed to laugh and hit the Camerupt with a Water Pulse. The Camerupt growled and shot fire from its back, sending it everywhere, including towards the Trainers. Johnny called out, "Flannery, look out!"

Some of the fire grazed her skin and some landed on her and stayed. "Flannery!" Johnny rushed over to her, recalling the two Pokémon as he did so. He picked her up and ran into the nearby Pokémon Center. "Nurse Joy!"

She turned and saw Flannery. "What happened?"

"Battle got a little out of hand. My Wailmer hit her Camerupt with a Water Pulse before the battle had started, and it responded with an eruption which also hit Flannery. I think she'll be okay, but can you look her over to be sure?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "No problem. You're a good friend to be concerned."

Johnny nodded, and Flannery drew a painful breath and muttered, "Definitely second, possibly third…Camerupt eruptions are pretty hot."

Nurse Joy took her back, and Johnny sat in one of the chairs, anxious to hear news, hopefully good.


	4. Chapter 4

As Johnny waited to hear news on Flannery, Frank texted him with 'How's the date going?'

Johnny sighed and replied with 'Not good. In Pokémon Center right now.'

'Dude, what did you do?'

'Nothing! We were battling and her Camerupt erupted, and some of it landed on her. Definitely second, maybe third degree burns.'

'Ugh. That can't be good. Eruption or eruption?'

'The action, not the move. If it were a move, it probably would've been more focused.'

'Good point…any news?'

Just as Johnny read that, Nurse Joy walked out. Johnny stood and asked, "And?"

She smiled, and Johnny took a breath. "She'll be alright, just needs some time to recuperate. She'll be fine in a few hours, but I suggest you take her home."

He nodded. "Alright, makes sense."

She smiled again, and Flannery walked out carefully. Nurse Joy turned and said, "Flannery, take it easy! That eruption got over a good chunk of you."

Flannery looked over her red, peeling skin. "Eh, just a flesh wound. So when are we getting back to that battle?"

Johnny shook his head. "Nurse says that we should head home so you can recuperate."

Flannery shook her head. "I'm a Fire user. I'm used to more than my share of burns."

"From a Camerupt eruption?"

She was silent, and he pressed, "For now, we'll head back to Lavaridge, alright?"

She sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. If it's you, then…I can't really argue."

"What do you mean by that?"

She blinked, then shook her head. "Nothing, nothing…alright, let's go home, then." She walked out quickly without another word, and Johnny called, "Wait up!"

He ran out to catch her, and Nurse Joy chuckled. "Yeah, those two…"

* * *

><p>Once Johnny caught up to Flannery, he asked her, "You alright? Besides the burns, I mean."<p>

She nodded, keeping her face down. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Johnny looked at her with concern. "I don't feel that. What's the problem?"

She looked at him, and he noticed her face was red. But her face hadn't been hit…"Are you blushing?"

She looked away quickly and almost tripped over a rock. Johnny chuckled, and Flannery turned to him, redder, and said, "S-Shut up!"

He laughed more, and she exclaimed, "Stop that! Stop right now!"

He managed to control himself, and he asked, "Why not? It was funny."

"Not to me! I could've fell."

"I would've caught you."

She blinked and looked away, which was good because Johnny was blushing slightly as well now. She whispered, "I had fun tonight. Minus the burns…"

He looked at her, then smiled. "Me too. We should do this again sometime."

She nodded. "Definitely. You're a nice guy, Johnny. And you know what they say about nice guys?"

"What?"

"That they always finish last!" She ran off, and Johnny sputtered, "W-hey, wait for me!" He ran after her, enjoying the simple fun of it.

* * *

><p>As the race approached Lavaridge, Flannery hit a rock. She started to go down, but Johnny put on an extra burst of speed and caught her like he was dipping her. They spent a few moments staring into each other's eyes, the red and the green examining each other. Flannery spoke quietly, "I think you can let me go now."<p>

He nodded quickly and stood her up, letting her go as he did so. "Wanna walk the rest of the way?"

She nodded, and they walked into Lavaridge.

* * *

><p>They arrived at her house, and he grinned and said, "See ya tomorrow?"<p>

She nodded and said, "I'd like that."

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments, then Johnny kissed her cheek and walked away quickly, face madly red. Flannery looked after him in slight shock and touched her cheek where he had kissed it. She smiled and whispered, "Johnny…"

He walked into his house and shut the door behind him, grinning madly. Frank walked out of the kitchen and exclaimed, "And?!"

Johnny nearly jumped out of his skin. "You don't live here! How'd you get in?"

"Parents. I said that I needed to see you and that I'd wait and-oh, deets!"

Johnny smiled. "We had an awesome time. And…I think something sparked."

Frank squealed, and Johnny gave him an odd look and said, "Dude."

Frank giggled. "I'm just so happy to see my best friend with his crush!"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. So perfect."

He started to walk upstairs, and Frank asked, "What is it?"

Johnny stopped and looked at Frank. "I dunno…something's bothering me, but I can't tell what. I'm not gonna worry about it. Do me a favor and show yourself out, would you?"

Frank nodded, and Johnny went upstairs into his room, which had several different pictures of Flannery. Enough to constantly remind himself, but not enough for it to be considered obsessing. He changed into pajamas and crawled under the covers, his lips still buzzing slightly. He had a good feeling about this…a very good feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

Johnny opened his eyes to see Frank staring into his face. "Holy-Frank!" Johnny jumped and almost fell off the bed.

Frank looked at him. "Good morning to you, too."

Johnny got up from the bed and looked at Frank, sighing. "Frank…you don't live here."

"Key's still under the mat. At this point, I should."

"Frank, you have your own family. Your own _house._"

He shrugged. "It's not as fun over there."

Johnny said, "What exactly are you expecting over here?"

He pointed at a random Flannery photo. "What do you think."

Johnny sighed again. "Give me five minutes to actually get dressed."

Frank nodded, and Johnny went into the bathroom with clothes to brush his teeth and change. Once he did so, he walked out, and Frank said, "Something's up with Flannery."

Johnny asked with sarcasm, "You mean besides the burns?"

Frank ignored it and said, "Yeah. I don't know what, though. I said hi to her on my way over and she just mumbled. You know how enthusiastic she is."

Johnny nodded. "Dude, don't worry about it." He patted Frank on the shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing."

As Johnny walked out of the house, he saw Flannery walking towards the Gym and said, "Hey, Flannery!"

She looked at him like a deer looks in the headlights and ran towards the Gym. Yeah, Frank was right…Johnny went over to the Gym and went to open the door, but Flannery had locked it. "Flannery, why'd you lock the Gym? A challenger might come along."

He heard her reply from inside, "Wattson gives me a heads-up when someone beats him, and there's nothing yet. So I'm not worried."

"But still, you've never locked the Gym before. What's the problem?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's you!"

Johnny was silent for a moment, and Flannery said, "Well, not you, just relating to you…ugh, this is complicated!"

He heard her lean on the doors and slide to the ground, and he said, "Look, if it's me, maybe I can help figure it out. Will you let me try to help?"

A large sigh emanated from the Gym, and Flannery said, "You can't help. It's nice of you to ask, but you can't help. I just need some time…"

Johnny sighed. "Well, how are your burns?"

"Better. Still not 100%, but it's getting better."

"That's good to hear. Can I see?"

"I dunno, can you?"

Johnny rolled his eyes. "You get my point, smart-ass."

"I do, and no."

"Why not?"

"Because then you'll try to get in and talk to me."

Johnny couldn't deny that. "Well, if you're gonna think, at least do it in the hot springs. I'm sure it's better for relaxing than your Gym."

Silence. Then "Face away from the Gym doors."

He did so and said, "Alright, I'm not looking."

He heard the doors open, and as much as he wanted to turn around and see her, he stayed true to her request. He stayed like that for a few minutes more until Frank's voice said from behind him, "Something fascinating about that tree line?"

Johnny turned. "Flannery's in the hot springs thinking. Apparently the problem has something to do with me."

Frank thought a moment, then grinned. "She's never had a boyfriend, right?"

Johnny nodded, and Frank said, "Well, this is just her way of coping with new feelings."

"But…I'm not reacting like her. I'm not flipping out."

"Because you've had a crush on her since pretty much when you were born. You want this…she doesn't know if she wants this. Not good, not bad, just a thing. Give her space."

Johnny nodded. "This is agonizing, though."

Frank gave him a look. "Just think about how she feels."

Johnny nodded, and Frank said, "You had a good idea. Wanna soak in the springs?"

"I don't have my suit."

Frank handed him a pair of trunks, and Johnny said, "You really need to go home once in a while. Where's yours?"

In response, Frank ripped off his pants, revealing trunks. "Dude, you just wasted a perfectly good pair of pants."

"That's what you think." Frank grabbed the pants, and Johnny noticed there was Velcro on the sides. "These pants work wonders."

Johnny shook his head. "You are, by far, one of the weirdest and most resourceful people I know."

Frank grinned. "Thanks."

The two of them walked into the Pokémon Center and went to go soak in the hot springs. They both sighed as they relaxed, and Frank muttered, "If I didn't look like a raisin after I got out, I would never leave this."

"Me neither."

"Same here."

The two looked around for the third voice, which had not come from their side. Johnny looked at the separating wall and said, "Flannery?"

"Oh crap, Johnny!" They heard movement on the other side, and Johnny hurriedly said, "No, don't worry about it! I'm not here to talk, just to relax."

Silence. Then "Fine. Just…please don't talk to me."

"Deal."

An awkward silence filled the area after that. Frank looked at Johnny, then at the wall, then back at Johnny. "Well, this is awkward."

Johnny and Flannery said at the same time, "Tell me about it."


	6. Chapter 6

Awkward did not begin to cover the feeling in the hot springs after that little outburst. Frank looked at Johnny and the wall, which was a collapsible wooden wall, several times. He dared not say anything because, quite frankly (no pun intended), it was simply too awkward. Frank thought about what to do, then he got an idea and grinned mischievously. He stood up and walked towards the dividing wall. Johnny looked at him curiously, and Frank asked, "Flannery, where exactly are you?"

"As far from you guys as possible."

"Good," Frank replied, then promptly kicked the wall down, getting rid of the division between guys and girls. Johnny and Flannery both stood up and shouted, "FRANK!"

Frank chuckled. "Did I do that?"

Johnny gave him a look. "Why did you do that?!"

"Because this was too awkward!"

Flannery exclaimed, "I might not have had anything on!" Thankfully she had a fiery-red bikini on.

Frank shrugged. "Not my problem."

Johnny looked at Flannery. "Want me to kick him out?"

She nodded vigorously, and Johnny picked up Frank and threw him out of the room, his stuff following soon after. Johnny looked at the door and sighed, and Flannery asked, "Can you help me put the wall up, please?"

He looked at her. "Why? I like how you look."

She looked over her decent bust and slender figure, blushing. "I don't look that great…"

Johnny nodded. "You do to me."

She blushed more and started to sputter. "J-Just help me w-with this wall, would you?"

He shrugged. "Fine." He helped her put the wall back up, and the last thing he saw was her incredibly red face. They both relaxed and sighed contentedly. "Johnny."

"Yeah?"

"Is this really the best way to fix this?"

"I'm just giving you space. You said that you didn't want to talk to me because the problem was relating to me."

"Good point…can we go over to your house and talk?"

Johnny was stunned. His crush pretty much invited herself over to his house! He started to smile hugely and said, "Sure, that should be okay. Now?"

"Yeah, if you can."

"Alright, let's go!"

They both quickly dried off, dressed, and left, passing Frank as they did so, who was grinning widely. "That'll work…"

They walked into Johnny's house, and his mom called out, "Johnny? That you?"

"Of course, Mom. Who else would it be?"

"Frank."

"Good point. No, just me and a friend."

"Frank?"

Flannery replied, "No, Mrs. Grilim."

Johnny's mother came into the entryway and grinned. "Flannery! Hello! Didn't expect you…sorry, we would have cleaned up more-"

Flannery chuckled. "No, it's fine. This was impromptu. Just treat me like a normal person as opposed to the Gym Leader." She turned to Johnny. "Can we hang in your room?"

Johnny and his mother said at the same time, "No."

Flannery looked at both of them. "Why not?"

Mrs. Grilim looked at Flannery. "I know you're a perfectly nice girl, but bad things happen when a boy and a girl are alone in a room together with no supervision. Absolutely positively no!"

Johnny pointed at his mom. "There you go."

Flannery nodded. "I understand. So…where can we hang, then?"

Mrs. Grillim pointed. "Living room. Comfortable couch, television, gaming systems, should be everything you need. If you need anything else, I'll be upstairs." She went up, and Johnny and Flannery went into the living room. Flannery gave a low whistle. "Nice TV…"

Johnny shrugged. "It's not much."

She looked at the game systems. "Xbox One? PS4?! Damn, these are nice systems! What should we play first?"

Johnny gestured at the cabinet. "There's what we got."

Flannery rushed over to the cabinet with glee and looked through the game, picking up an Xbox One game. "Giantdrop!"

Johnny chuckled. "Shooter?"

She nodded. "It's so fun! And I can kick your ass!"

Johnny smirked. "We'll see about that!"

Fifteen minutes later, they were tied. They had both won two games, so the next one would win. Johnny looked at Flannery and asked, "Wanna make this more interesting?"

She gave him a questioning look, and he said, "Since whoever wins this wins the match, how about the loser does whatever the winner demands?"

She thought about it, then nodded. "Alright. How long?"

"Hm…does a week sound good?"

She shook her head. "Too long for me…how about for the rest of the day?"

Johnny nodded. "Sounds good. Let's go!"

They started the game, and about five or so minutes later, Flannery was griping and Johnny was grinning. He had won, but only barely. He turned to Flannery and said, "Well, this oughta be fun."

She glared at him. "You got lucky!"

He shrugged. "I don't deny that. But I still won, which means you gotta do what I want for the rest of the day."

She sighed. "As much as it pisses me off, you're right. I'll honor this bet. What would you have me do first?"

Johnny thought for a moment, then spoke. "I'll say this now: If I ask you to do something uncomfortable, you are free to reject it."

She gave him an odd look. "You're…giving me permission?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I don't wanna overstep boundaries or anything. Something like this could ruin our friendship if something bad happens."

She looked away and muttered, "You want more than friendship, though…"

He blinked. "What makes you say that?"

She looked into his green eyes. "I've seen how you look at me…right through me sometimes. I've seen the smiles, the grimaces, all that. I know you have a crush on me, Johnny. I've known since you figured it out, pretty much."

He blinked again and turned away. "You…you knew?"

She nodded, and he asked, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because they're your feelings. You're the one who has to tell me."

"But I didn't."

She shrugged. "My bad. So what do you want me to do first?"

"Hm? Oh yeah…the bet…" He looked at her. "Answer me something, truthfully."

She got more comfortable on his couch. "Sure, shoot."

"Do you like me, too?"

She blinked. "Like you like me?"

He nodded, and she thought a moment. "Well…"


	7. Chapter 7

She sighed. "Hell if I know."

Johnny blinked, and she got up from the couch and started to pace. "Johnny, I really don't know. It's not a no, but…it's not a yes."

Johnny said, "Why do you put it like that?"

She looked at him, then looked away. "Because I feel different around you."

He looked at her curiously, and she said, "I feel…happier. Safer, if that makes any sense. I mean, we both know I can take care of myself, but having you there…it just gives me more. Does that make sense at all to you? Because I don't understand any of it…"

Johnny smiled and stood. "I understand perfectly. And the answer I think you're looking for…is yes." He looked into her eyes, and she started to breathe quicker. He got closer, but she quickly backed up, fear in her eyes, and she ran out of his house. "W-Flannery!"

* * *

><p>Frank walked in and looked at Johnny, who sat on his couch despondently. "Uh…you alright?"<p>

Johnny shook his head, and Frank sat next to him. "What is it?"

Johnny sighed. "Flannery ran out of here when I told her I think she might have crush of me."

Frank blinked. "Were you right?"

Johnny shrugged. "I don't know…she ran out before we could figure it out."

Frank was about to say something, but someone knocked, and Johnny went to answer it. He opened the door, and Flannery was standing there. "Oh, Flannery! Hi…"

She asked meekly, "May I come in?"

He gestured for her to come in, and she did so, saying, "Hey, Frank."

He grinned. "Hey, Flannery." He looked at his wrist. "Oh, look at the time! I gotta get home. See ya guys!" He bolted out the back door, and Johnny started to wonder just what kept Frank going. Besides fifty sodas…

Flannery sat on his couch, and he sat next to her. "So, Flannery…to what do I owe this visit?"

He noticed she was blushing slightly, and he said, "Nervous about something?"

She looked at him, blushing a little more, and nodded slightly. He chuckled. "Well, as part of the bet, I order you to tell me."

Her eyes widened, and she huffed, annoyed at the bet, which was still ongoing since the day was not finished yet. "Jerk…"

He grinned. "Aw, you know you like me."

"I do. And…I think like you like me."

He blinked, and she sighed angrily and leaned back on his couch. "I don't know! God, it's pissing me off…"

He chuckled, and she glared at him. "What."

He grinned and looked at her. "It's just funny to see you lose your composure. It's so rare."

She promptly punched him in the arm. "Ouch, Flannery!"

He rubbed his arm tenderly, and she huffed again, muttering, "That's what you get, jerk…"

He sighed. "You didn't have to punch me…"

She shot him a smirk. "Nope. But I wanted to."

He growled, then leapt on top of her as she cried out with an "Eep!"

* * *

><p>They tussled for a few minutes, at the end of which Johnny was on top, pinning Flannery. He smirked and said, "Don't start something unless you can finish it."<p>

She sighed. "Yeah, I figured…I just forgot you were that strong."

He shrugged. "Eh, no big deal."

"Uh, can you get off of me now?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry…" He quickly got off of her and helped her up, and he noticed her blushing slightly again. "Why exactly do you keep blushing?"

She looked at him, then kissed his cheek and ran out. He blinked, rubbing it gingerly, like he couldn't quite believe that had happened. He smiled softly. "Flannery…"


	8. Chapter 8

Johnny woke up feeling…well, he didn't know. It wasn't bad, but it didn't scream good…he wasn't gonna worry about it. He got ready for the day, and as he walked out of the house, he noticed a moving van at one of the houses. He had seen the 'For Sale' sign go down, but that had been a while ago…he shrugged and walked to the house, knocking on the door. It opened, revealing a muscular man with glasses and a beard. "Oh, hello."

Johnny smiled. "Hello, sir. I'm one of your neighbors-" he pointed at his house, "-and I wanted to welcome you to Lavaridge."

He smiled. "Well, that's nice. We just moved here from Castelia City."

"We?"

"Oh, myself, and my wife and son." He called into the house, "Dear? Come here, please."

A woman came to the door and said, "Yes, honey?"

The man gestured at Johnny. "Neighbor here to welcome us." He blinked and looked at Johnny. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, Johnny. Johnny Grisim." He stuck out his hand, and the man shook it.

"Bert Oris, and this is my wife, Judy. Our son, Zane, is upstairs, if you wanna meet him."

Johnny nodded. "Sure. May I come in, then?"

Bert nodded, and Johnny walked in, looking around the box-filled house. He looked at the stairs and walked up, looking around the hallway. He heard movement behind one of the doors, and he knocked. "Zane?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Johnny Grisim, one of your neighbors. Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah! Sure, come on in."

Johnny opened the door, and his breath was taken away by the sight of quite possibly the most beautiful man Johnny had ever seen. He would go gay for this man (and for those in the audience hoping for such, nope. Johnny is completely straight). Black hair flowing down to his shoulders, warm brown eyes, slightly taller than Johnny, more muscular, and he filled out into his jeans and black muscle shirt. "Whoa."

Zane blinked. "Problem?"

Johnny shook his head. "I'm straight, but I think you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

Zane chuckled. "I flattered, and I'm straight, too. Don't worry about it."

Johnny stood for a minute more, then noticed Zane's balls (Poke Balls. Get your mind out of the gutter). "You a Trainer?"

Zane nodded. "Yeah, got a decent team. Wanna battle?"

Johnny grinned. "You know it!"

The two of them settled outside, and Zane pulled out a Ball. "Six-on-six?"

Johnny nodded, and Zane asked, "Do we need a ref?"

"Nah. We should be okay."

Zane nodded and threw his ball. "Go, Carracosta!"

A bipedal dark-blue turtle appeared. It had a shell on its back and stomach that looked like rocks, and its arms looked like blades, but Johnny doubted their cutting ability. "Whoa, never seen that."

Zane chuckled. "Unova Pokémon are definitely interesting."

Johnny took in the shell. "Defense, eh? Well, a defense is only as good as the offence! Go, Makit!" He threw a Ball, revealing the Hariyama.

Zane gave him a look. "Makit?"

"Trade."

Zane nodded in understanding. "Bummer. Carracosta, use Aqua Jet!"

Carracosta encased itself in water, then charged at Makit, who chuckled and held out its hand. Zane smirked and called out, "Change to Crunch!"

The water dispersed, and Carracosta latched onto Makit's hand, and Johnny called out, "Makit, use Force Palm!"

His other hand glowed, and Carracosta surrounded itself in a green aura as it was hit and continued to hold onto Makit's hand. Johnny looked at Zane, who said, "Protect."

Johnny nodded. "Pain sometimes…Force Palm again!"

The hand glowed again, and Carracosta couldn't protect itself this time as Makit sent it flying. It hit the ground and got up shakily. "Carracosta, use Hydro Pump!"

Carracosta blasted water from its mouth at Makit, and Makit dodged, charging at Carracosta and unleashing another Force Palm, which KO'd it.

Zane recalled it, and Johnny said, "Nice moveset. But your next Pokémon better be more impressive, otherwise I'm gonna wipe the floor with you."

Zane looked at him. "Don't count me out yet. Go, Vanilluxe!"

A white Pokémon appeared, and instantly Johnny was hungry, simply because it looked like ice cream. Both its heads looked like scoops resting on a cone. "Wow…seriously?"

Zane frowned. "Hey, just because it looks delicious doesn't mean you can count it out easily! Vanilluxe, use Sheer Cold!"

Vanilluxe grinned and fired a white beam at Makit, who couldn't dodge in time. The temperature dropped instantly, and Makit fainted. Johnny blinked and returned his Pokémon. "Whoa…"

Zane smirked. "Yeah, Sheer Cold's a One Hit KO move. Works well when it hits."

Johnny gulped and threw a Ball. "Go, Qemors!"

Johnny's Manectric appeared, and he instantly called out, "Sunny Day!"

Qemors glowed and sent a heat wave straight up, and the sunlight became more harsh. Zane chuckled and said, "Sheer Cold."

Qemors dodged the beam and managed to get right in Vanilluxe's face, spewing a Flamethrower and KOing it instantly. Zane called it back and called out, "Go, Heatmor!"

An anteater with red and yellow stripes appeared, and Johnny gulped. "Fire?"

"Uh-huh. Time to turn this around!"


	9. Chapter 9

Zane grinned. "Your Sunny Day will be the end of you!"

Johnny blinked, then looked at Qemors. "How the hell did you use that?"

Qemors and Zane looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"

Johnny looked at Zane. "I just remembered: Qemors knows Rain Dance and not Sunny Day. It can learn it, but I haven't taught it Sunny Day…"

Zane looked up and thought a moment. "Y'know…now that we're not in the heat of battle, there's no extra heat."

They both blinked. Johnny said, "So…your Vanilluxe's Special Defense just sucks, then?"

Zane shrugged. "Guess so…eh, let's not worry about it. Shall we?"

Johnny nodded. "Qemors, Rain Dance!"

Qemors sent a blue energy straight up, and it began to rain. Zane grimaced. "Heatmor, use Bug Bite!"

Heatmor charged at Qemors, but Johnny hid a chuckle and waited until Heatmor got close before calling out, "Discharge."

Qemors grinned and let electricity flow from every fur. Thanks to the rain covering Heatmor, it hit, and Heatmor began to spasm slightly before reigning itself in, glowing yellow slightly. Johnny whooped. "Paralysis!"

Zane almost swore. "Heatmor, return!" He called back the anteater and looked his other Balls over carefully before choosing another one and throwing it, calling out "Let's go, Scolipede!"

A huge centipede-like Pokémon appeared, and Johnny was worried a bit. It towered over them, and it was dark red with purple circles on it. Johnny shuddered a bit and took a breath, taking in the rain. "Alright Qemors, weaken it with Discharge!"

Qemors unleashed another Discharge, but Scolipede covered itself in a Protect, and Zane called out, "Scolipede, Rollout!"

Scolipede started to spin in a front somersault over and over again, and once it hit the ground, it charged at Qemors, who leapt over it. However, it was caught on Scolipede's return and went flying towards Johnny, who naturally ducked. "Qemors!"

Qemors hit a tree and lay still for a moment before getting back up and charging at Scolipede with a Wild Charge. It connected, and Zane shouted, "Quick, use Megahorn!"

Before Qemors could retreat, Scolipede hit it with its antenna, KOing it. Johnny called Qemors back and instantly threw another Ball, calling out, "Criuly, you got this!"

The Swellow appeared, ready for battle, and Zane gulped slightly. "Criuly, Aerial Ace!"

It charged at Scolipede, who was too slow to dodge and took in the move. Criuly landed another two on it, and it fainted. Zane called it back and threw another Ball. "Go, Heatmor."

The anteater appeared again, and Zane instantly said, "Flamethrower."

Criuly was engulfed in flames and close to fainting, Johnny could see, and he called out, "Endeavor!"

Criuly hit Heatmor several times, and it began to look as weak as Criuly. Zane looked puzzled and asked, "What happened?"

Johnny smirked. "Endeavor makes each Pokémon's HP equal if the attacker's is lower."

Zane nodded. "Well done. Heatmor, Flamethrower again!"

"Quick Attack."

Using the Quick Attack, Criuly dodged and struck Heatmor, KOing it. Zane recalled it and threw another Ball, calling "Go, Serperior."

A long green snake appeared, and it looked at Criuly snootily, somehow. "Wait, green…what type is it?"

Zane sighed. "Grass."

Johnny smirked. "Aerial Ace."

Criuly charged at Serperior, and Zane smirked as well. "Aerial Ace."

Johnny's eyes widened as Serperior's tail glowed white and intercepted Criuly in midair and struck it down, KOing it. Johnny recalled Criuly and said, "Nice one, Zane. Didn't expect that."

Zane nodded. "I am good."

Johnny threw a Ball. "Go, Pilopis!"

A Sceptile appeared, and Zane gave a low whistle. "Nice Sceptile."

"Thanks. But you ain't seen nothing yet."

Johnny swing his wrist in front of him and hit the multi-colored stone. Pilopis became enveloped in white light, and when it faded, its leaves on its arm looked sharper, and its tail had gone more tree-like than branch-like.

Zane blinked. "After this battle, I would love to talk to you about that."

Johnny nodded and said, "X-Scissor!"

Pilopis crossed its arms in an X formation, and purple energy charged at Serperior, who dodged and countered with an Aerial Ace, which Pilopis intercepted with a Dragon Claw. It grabbed Serperior, slammed it to the ground (the action, not the move), and used X-Scissor again, KOing it.

Zane recalled the Serperior and looked at Johnny. "You're an impressive Trainer. I'll give you this chance to surrender."

Johnny looked at him like he was nuts. "Zane, you have one Pokémon. Unless it's legendary, I don't think you can win."

Zane smiled. "Don't be so sure. Go, Hydreigon!"

A blue and black dragon appeared, and Johnny was intimidated by the heads for arms it had, making it three-headed. It flew with six black wings, and all three heads gave a loud roar. "What type is that, exactly?"

Zane grinned. "Dark and Dragon. Pretty fearsome combo, eh?"

Johnny facepalmed, and Zane gave him a look. Johnny sighed and said, "What'd I just KO your Serperior with?"

"X-Scissor."

"Which is?"

"Bug type. Oh, damn…"

"Yeah." Pilopis charged at the Hydreigon, and within a minute, it was KO'd. Zane sighed and called it back, then smiled at Johnny. "Damn. I didn't expect to get beaten…well, period."

Johnny grinned. "I remember feeling like that once. Then I got my ass kicked by a girl several times."

"Really? Who?"

"This town's Gym Leader. We've been good friends since we were kids, and we battle a lot." Johnny chuckled. "I can't remember the last time I won…"

"Hey, Johnny!"

Johnny and Zane looked, and sure enough, Flannery was coming their way, in her usual mini-shirt and jeans. Zane gave a low whistle. "I'd like some of that…"

Johnny went up to Zane and whispered, "We're not together yet, but she's mine, okay? So no moves."

He looked at Johnny. "Really?"

Johnny nodded, and Zane exhaled. "It's gonna be tough, but I'll try to control myself."

Flannery came up to them and looked Zane over. She stood for a minute looking at him until Johnny snapped his fingers in front of her face, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, you're beautiful."

Zane chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Johnny shot him a glare, and Zane coughed. "Well, not a lot, but occasionally."

Flannery gave a small "hm" before turning to Johnny. "So, any plans tonight?"

He shook his head casually and held out a pair of tickets. "Not much…just this."

She took the tickets, looked at them, and almost fell, had Johnny not caught her. "These are tickets to Ever Grande City on a flight from Mauville!"

He nodded. "We both like battling a ton, and I figured taking you to see an exhibition match would be fun."

She looked at him, shocked. "But…my Gym…"

Zane stepped forward. "I can take over temporarily, if you want."

She looked at him. "Who are you?"

He stuck out his hand. "I'm Zane Oris. My family and I just moved here."

She shook his hand. "Nice to meetcha. And if you're willing to do that…that'd be great!"

Zane smiled. "Anything."

Flannery chuckled, and she and Johnny went to pack for the ultimate battling area in the region.


	10. Chapter 10

Johnny walked out of his house with a small suitcase packed, and he saw Flannery do the same from her house. She came over to him, beaming, and said, "This is gonna be so much fun! I've never been to Ever Grande…"

Johnny looked at her. "Really? I thought you would've gone once…"

She shook her head. "Nah, training and Gym duties kinda take over my schedule."

Johnny nodded. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"

"You guys leaving now?"

Johnny and Flannery looked at Zane, who had walked up. "Yeah, just about to head out, Zane. You'll be able to take care of the Gym?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I should be good. You two go and have fun."

Flannery nodded. "Gladly. Let's go, Johnny!" She grabbed his arm and began to drag him, and within a few minutes, they were on their way to Mauville.

Zane looked after them and sighed, muttering to himself, "No guarantees, Johnny boy…no guarantees…"

* * *

><p>They got to Mauville quickly, but had to stop because-<p>

"Flannery, you'll tear my arm off! Relax!"

She let him go and turned to him, bouncing in place excitedly. "How can I relax? It's Ever Grande!"

He chuckled. "Okay, yeah, it's pretty awesome. Let's go!" He grabbed her arm and began to drag her, and the two of them ran to the airport.

* * *

><p>After they got through security, Johnny looked at the tickets again. "Let's see…looks like we have about half an hour to kill."<p>

She looked at him. "That long?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I was gonna tell you, but it was less important than 'Let go off my arm, I'm right-handed!'."

She grimaced and chuckled nervously. "Can you blame me? I was excited."

He shook his head. "No, I can't blame you."

"Announcing boarding for flight 328 for Ever Grande City."

He checked the tickets again and grimaced. "Uh-oh."

"Ours?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"Other end of the terminal."

She facepalmed and started to run, him following close behind.

* * *

><p>They got seated, and Flannery exhaled. "How-"<p>

"I don't know how I messed up, but I know I did."

She shrugged. "At least we're on the plane. How long's the flight?"

"Uh…two hours, maybe? Region's not too terribly big…"

She nodded. "Two hours…good sleeping time."

He nodded, and the flight attendant said, "Please fasten your seat belts. We will be taking off shortly." Soon after, Johnny felt the plane leave the ground, and he grabbed the armrests a little tighter. Flannery looked at his arms. "Don't like flying?"

"So-so. It doesn't overly thrill me."

She nodded. "Makes sense."

Johnny looked at her, noticing the way her red hair caught the light, making it seem more fiery. She noticed him looking and chuckled a little. "Why are you staring at my hair?"

He blinked and looked down. "Because it looks nice."

She smiled a little. "Thank you. Wanna feel it?"

He looked at her. "You wouldn't think that…weird?"

She shook her head, and he slowly stretched his hand out. He eventually touched her hair, and it was just as soft as he hoped. He smiled and let go, saying, "It's nice and soft."

She chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Is that soft?"

He nodded, closing his eyes, and he felt her arm move his hand until it was resting on something else. He felt it, and it felt…squishy and kinda soft. He kept his eyes closed. "What about that, Johnny? You like how that feels?"

"Yeah…what is it?"

"You mean you can't tell?"

"Well, I think I know what it is, but this might be awkward…" He opened his eyes and slowly looked down his arm from his shoulder to his hand, which was resting on (like he had thought/feared) her breast.

He quickly took his hand off it, and she gave him a look. "You didn't like it?"

He looked at her, a little scared, and she asked, "Is something bothering you now?"

He said softly, "Yeah, kinda…but not now. We'll talk later, okay?"

She looked concerned, but she dropped it anyways, and soon, both of them were asleep.

* * *

><p>Soon, they arrived in Ever Grande City, and as they got off the plane, Flannery kept looking at Johnny, who still wouldn't meet her gaze. They had gotten there after all the matches, so they just headed straight for the hotel since they were staying there a few days (with permission from both their parents).<p>

They went into their room, and it was nicely furnished. Two beds, a nice desk, and a decent bathroom. Johnny claimed one bed, and Flannery shut the door and turned to him, placing her stuff on the other bed and asking, "Okay, what the hell?"

He looked at her. "What?"

"You on the plane. You kinda…I dunno, drifted away."

He looked away. "Because I was touching your breast…it felt kinda awkward to me."

"Is that what this was all about?"

He nodded, and she smiled. "Johnny, you have nothing to worry about. If I didn't want that, trust me, you wouldn't have survived."

He looked at her. "So…you wanted me to squeeze your breast?"

"Yeah, kinda. I was…experimenting."

"Why?"

She blushed a little and looked away. "Because I think I know my feelings for you now."

Johnny blinked and sat on his bed. "Well, please enlighten me."

She sat next to him and looked at him. "Well…it's simple. I like you, and I wanna try."

He smiled. "Is that true?"

She nodded, and he asked, "I know you're just figuring this out now, but have you felt this way for long?"

She shrugged. "I might've…I honestly don't know."

He nodded in understanding. "Flannery…I'm gonna try something, and if you don't like it, don't be afraid to tell me."

She nodded, a bit nervously, and he said, "Close your eyes."

She did, and he took a breath and kissed her. He heard a surprised grunt from her, but she didn't push him away, so he continued to kiss her. It ended, and she blinked a few times. "Johnny."

"Yes?"

She looked at him. "Why'd you stop?" She pulled him into another kiss before he could protest, and simply put, the guy was now in heaven.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, once they woke up (in separate beds. Get your mind out of the gutter) and got ready, Flannery looked over the matches of the day. As Johnny walked out of the bathroom, she nodded, and he asked, "Found one?"

She nodded. "Yeah, and I think it's a Gym match."

"Gym match?"

"A battle between Gym Leaders. They come here to relax and train. Well, except me…too lonely."

Johnny nodded. "Makes sense. Who?"

"Looks like…Winona versus Liza and Tate."

Johnny whistled. "That should be a good match. When?"

"Uh…half an hour."

"Stadium?"

"Central."

"Perfect. We should head over now to get good seats."

She nodded and stood. "Good idea."

* * *

><p>As they walked towards the stadium, Johnny admired the wonderful weather, perfect for battling. "Flannery, do the other leaders know you're here?"<p>

She shrugged. "Don't think so. Why?"

He chuckled. "It'd be awesome to see you battle."

She smiled. "It'd be fun to see you battle, too."

He looked at her. "I've gone through more training since we left off. I think I could take on even Wallace."

"What, no Steven?"

Johnny shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm decent…but not that good."

"I understand. Hey, let's go! I wanna see battle!"

She began to drag him (again), and he sighed, still going along fine.

* * *

><p>They got seated comfortably in the stadium, close to the action. Flannery hugged Johnny excitedly, and he chuckled. "Yeah, I'm excited, too."<p>

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Ever Grande City!"

A cheer went up from the large crowd, and the announcer continued, "It's my pleasure today to introduce a great Gym match today! In this corner, we have the aerial master, the beauty of the skies, Winona!"

A woman in a light-blue flight suit walked out, her lavender hair blowing in the wind. The crowd cheered, and she waved gracefully to them as she walked to her position.

"Now, her opponent today, or should I say opponents, are masters of the mind, the telepathic terror twins! Liza and Tate!"

Two individuals walked out, a boy and a girl, both in blue robes, and they waved to the crowd. They went nuts, and the two walked to their position.

The ref looked at the two teams. "Alright, two-on-two Double Battle. Standard rules. Any questions?"

They shook their heads, and the ref said, "Begin!"

They each threw out two Balls, and on Winona's side appeared a large pelican named Pelipper and a cloud-like blue dragon named Altaria. On Liza and Tate's side appeared a floating rock shaped like a sun named Solrock and a floating rock shaped like a crescent moon named Lunatone.

"Pelipper, Water Pulse! Altaria, Dragon Breath!"

"Solrock, Lunatone, dual Psychic!"

Pelipper launched a blue ball that changed into rings and flew at Solrock, Altaria fired purple flames from its mouth at Lunatone, and those two Pokémon were suddenly lifted, throwing the moves off course. Liza and Tate smirked, and the two Pokémon were slammed over and over again until they were finally thrown out of the stadium. Everyone, especially Winona, looked after them, and the ref gave a low whistle. "They're going…going…gone! The winners are Liza and Tate!"

The two high fived, and Winona went up to them and shook their hands. Johnny muttered to Flannery, "They're not that tough…I could beat them easy."

Tate looked in his direction and pointed at him. "You. Come here."

Johnny blinked. "Me?"

Tate nodded, and Johnny jumped the wall and went over to him. "Good match, Mr. Tate, sir."

Tate chuckled. "No need for formalities. So, you think you could beat us?"

Liza turned to face Johnny, and he gulped and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I do. Every Pokémon can be beaten."

Liza and Tate looked at each other, sharing a conversation, it seemed. They turned back to Johnny, and Liza said, "You have your chance. We challenge you."

Johnny blinked. "I don't have enough Badges…"

Tate scoffed. "If you say something like that, you'd better back it up. Or are you chicken?"

Liza looked at him sharply. "That is not becoming of a Gym Leader to taunt a challenger! Tate."

He looked at her. "He said he could beat us!"

"And I plan to follow through."

Tate looked at him, and Johnny continued. "You want to see me battle, fine. You've got yourselves a match."

Tate and Liza smirked. "Two-on-two Double Battle. You up for that?"

Johnny nodded. "Let's do this!"

The two teams assumed the position, and the announcer said, "Well, it seems we have a surprise challenger! Johnny Grisim of Lavaridge Town has declared a challenge against Liza and Tate! Let's see if he can hold out."

The ref looked at both teams. "Begin!"

Liza and Tate sent out their Solrock and Lunatone, and Johnny sent out Iusoru and Pilopis. "Just two on two, correct? No substitutions?"

The ref shook his head, and Johnny smirked. "Pay attention, twins! You just might learn something."

Johnny hit the multi-colored stone on his wrist, and Pilopis went through its transformation. Liza and Tate gawked, and Johnny called out, "Iusoru, Waterfall! Pilopis, Leaf Blade!"

The two charged at Lunatone and Solrock, and Liza and Tate snapped out of it. "Double Psychic!"

Pilopis and Iusoru froze in place, and Johnny gritted his teeth. "One of you has to shove the other out! Pick!"

Without hesitation, Iusoru shoved Pilopis out and went flying. Pilopis chuckled and charged at Lunatone and Solrock, dodging every Psychic sent its way. It got to Lunatone and slashed it with a Leaf Blade, following quickly with an X-Scissor and a Night Slash. Needless to say, it was KO'd, and Pilopis turned to Solrock, who looked at it with fear. Pilopis charged at Solrock, and it sent a Fire Spin at Pilopis, who was caught in it. Johnny gulped and called out, "Iusoru, put out the Fire Spin with a Water Spout!"

Iusoru shot water from the hole on its head and doused the fire, also hitting Solrock, who recoiled enough for Pilopis to finish it off with a Leaf Blade. Liza and Tate recalled their Pokémon, and Tate hung his head. "Whoops."

Johnny went over to them and extended his hand. "You two really are good battlers. Nice match, really."

Tate took a breath and shook it. "I'm sorry for taunting you."

Liza smiled and shook Johnny's hand. "He speaks out of turn sometimes."

Johnny nodded, listening to the applause until it died down. Except for one.

Johnny turned to the audience, expecting Flannery to be the one clapper. Oh, if only he were that lucky…

A man with light blue hair stood. He had on a black suit, of sorts, and he looked at Johnny with rapt interest. "You just handled Liza and Tate like they were no big deal. Exactly how powerful are you?"

Johnny took a breath. "How about you come and find out?"

The man chuckled and leapt down to the battle area, walking over to Johnny and looking him in the eyes. "Very well. I, Steven Stone, Champion of the Hoenn League, challenge you to a battle!"


	12. Chapter 12

Johnny started to panic. "Oh, you…um…ah…hehe…" He almost passed out.

"Steven! What are you doing?!"

Steven and Johnny looked at a man walking up to them, who had a pink Mohawk and a black suit. Steven sighed. "Sydney, what do you want?"

Sydney sighed. "As powerful as he may seem, you can't battle him yet. He's only beaten Liza and Tate. He still needs to beat Wallace, then us."

"Then I challenge him."

The three of them turned to see a man in some sort of sailing costume. The man walked over to them and looked at Johnny. "I, Wallace, Gym Leader of Sootopolis, challenge you!"

Johnny smirked. "You really think you can beat me?"

Wallace looked him over. "I like the confidence, young man. Now back it up!

The two took their position, Steven and Sydney joining the audience. The ref looked at both of them. "Six-on-six full battle, standard rules. Understood?"

They both nodded, and the announcer said, "Well, it seems this new challenger is now fighting Wallace, the most powerful Gym Leader in the region! Will he pull through?"

"Begin!"

Wallace smiled and threw a Ball, summoning a heart-shaped Pokémon named Luvdisc, and Johnny threw a Ball, summoning Qemors. The Manectric stood proud, and Wallace said, "You may have the first move."

Johnny nodded. "Qemors, Discharge!"

Qemors unleashed electricity, and Luvdisc barely dodged and got close to Qemors, who used a Flamethrower to back it up quickly and hit it again with a Wild Charge. "Luvdisc, use Attract!"

Luvdisc winked at Qemors, who blinked and started panting. Johnny sighed and said, "Discharge?"

Qemors blinked again and unleased electricity, which KO'd Luvdisc. Wallace blinked. "How'd that work?"

Johnny shrugged. "Attract doesn't always affect the Pokémon. Next?"

Wallace chuckled and threw a Ball, summoning a seal-like Pokémon named Sealeo, and Johnny called back Qemors, exchanging it for Makit. "Makit, Force Palm!"

The Hariyama charged at Sealeo, who shot it with an Aurora Beam, cutting its Attack and barely hanging on. "Force Palm again!" Makit charged, and Sealeo leapt up, coming back down with a Waterfall onto Makit, who grabbed it, slammed it to the ground, and KO'd it with another Force Palm. Wallace sighed and called back his Pokémon. "You are very powerful."

Johnny nodded. "Thanks."

"Look, obviously you're kicking my ass. So how's about we change this to a three-on-three and shorten my suffering?"

Johnny nodded. "That's okay with me if it's okay with the ref." He nodded, and Wallace threw his third ball out, summoning a pale serpent with a blue-finned tail named Milotic. Johnny called back his Makit and threw out his Pilopis and said, "You better hope this is as good as you think."

Wallace smirked. "Milotic, Blizzard!"

Uh-oh. Milotic summoned ice and wind and shot it at Pilopis, who only got caught on the edge, but enough to freeze it in place. Johnny gulped. "This could be bad…"

Wallace laughed. "But it's about to get worse! Dragon Pulse!"

Milotic readied a purple beam from its mouth and shot it at Pilopis, who couldn't dodge thanks to being frozen. "Pilopis!" It lied on the ground, and the ref raised his hand. "Pilopis is unable to battle!"

Johnny sighed and called it back, throwing out Makit. "Force Palm!"

It charged at Milotic, but Wallace smirked, and when Makit got close, Wallace called out, "Hydro Pump!"

Milotic shot a force of water at Makit, who rolled under it and hit Milotic, grabbing it, slamming it a few times, then hitting it with a Force Palm again, almost KOing it but not quite. Makit noticed this and threw it straight up. As it came back down, Wallace called out, "Use Hydro Pump to break the fall!"

It did, and Makit got caught in it, almost getting KO'd. Milotic charged at Makit, who gave it a look and hit it with a Smelling Salts, KOing it. Wallace sighed and hung his head, walking over to Johnny and handing him a Rain Badge, which was three drops of water together. "Damn, you're good. Good luck against the Elite Four."

Johnny shook his hand. "Thank you." The crowd cheered, and Johnny turned to accept the applause and noticed Sydney and Steven had left. He saw Flannery in her same spot, cheering loudly, and he smiled.

The Elite Four and Champion match would be held the next day, so Johnny and Flannery went back to their room, Flannery still giddy. "I can't believe you beat Wallace!"

He was pacing around the room and looked at Flannery. "I know! It's awesome."

She smiled and looked down. "I think something this incredible deserves a reward…" She walked up to him and kissed him, and they enjoyed that simple pleasure for a minute. Flannery moved Johnny's hands so that he was hugging her, and one of his hands went up close to her shirt. He tugged up on it, and she chuckled and stretched her arms up. He chuckled and quickly pinned her to the bed, tickling her armpits. She started laughing hysterically, and Johnny grinned. "That's what you get for raising your arms!"

He understood from her laughter "I thought you wanted to take off my shirt!"

He shrugged. "Maybe some other time, cutie." He stopped tickling her and kissed her again, and she just lied on the bed.

She looked at him. "Who ever thought we'd be here…"

He lied next to her and chuckled. "Our parents. They most likely could tell we liked each other."

"True enough…hey, is it hot in here, or is it just me?" She took off her shirt, revealing a fiery red bra. Johnny blinked, and she said, "Yeah, really hot…" She stood and took off her jeans, revealing the same color panties. She turned to Johnny, who was blushing like mad. "You okay, Johnny?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine…it doesn't seem that hot in here."

She walked over to him slowly, and he took a breath as she climbed on top of him, tracing a finger down his stomach. "How about now?"

He shrugged. "Kinda…" She kissed him, and he took hold of her, his hands moving up to her bra strap, until she suddenly said, "Hold on."

He took his hands off, and she took a breath. "I...I'm sorry, I'm moving fast. I'm sure you're liking it, but…I gotta slow down."

He nodded. "I understand. This is all new."

He got off her bed and onto his own, and they both got comfy in their beds. "You still look cute."

She chuckled. "Night, Johnny."

"Night, Flannery."


End file.
